Tracking Otters
So you are interested in becoming a steward of the North American river otter?
Now you need to learn what to look for. You may know what an otter looks like, but what about tracks and signs? If you learn where to look and how to identify otter sign you will be surprised at where you can find river otters.
Where to Look For Otters
Otters spend most of their time in or around a body of water. They cover a range of up to 10 square miles in a year, but most signs will be near a pond or river. Otters will usually travel from pond to pond using small streams or rivers instead of traveling over land. Otters will often share a pond with beavers.
Tracks
Otters have webbed feet with five toes and claws. The front footprints are about 3 inches wide and round in shape. The rear footprints are a little longer than they are wide and in mud you might be able to see the webbing between the toes. An adult otter track could be about the size of the bottom of a can of soda, though younger otters will leave smaller tracks.
When looking at tracks, it is important to look at the overall picture and not just one track, as many animals can make similar individual tracks. Otter, like all mustelids (members of the weasel family), are bounders. This means that when they are running they move their back feet together up toward their front feet before lifting both front feet and reaching forward. This gives the otter the typical arched-back look of all the weasels.
Otter track patterns
The bounding motion of otters leaves a unique pattern of tracks. There are a few different patterns that you might see. The width of an otter trail is about 4-6 inches and the spaces between sets of tracks can range from 1-2 feet depending on the size and gait of the otter.
Also notice the tail drag mark through the middle of a set of tracks. The otter's heavy tail sometimes leaves a mark in the snow. If you see this, it is a good indication that what you are looking at is an otter trail.
In addition to tracks, you can also look for otter slides. Otters are playful, clever critters that take advantage of a slippery situation. They will bound a few times and then tuck their legs under them and slide on their stomachs over snow or ice. This leaves a long trough mark between sets of tracks. You may also see an otter slide on a muddy bank. An otter slide is about 6 inches wide and is usually a few feet long, but can be up to 25 feet on ice.
Scat and Latrine Sites
Another great sign to look for is otter scat or feces. One or more otter will return to the same site many times creating a latrine or toilet site. These sites are easily visible because of the large amounts of scat left there. They are also noticeable because of their strong fishy odor. A latrine site is most often on a visible landmark such as a fallen log, a rock or a peninsula of land that sticks out into the water.
Upon closer inspection of a latrine site, one would be able to see otter scat.
Depending on the otter's diet, scat can look quite different. Otter scat is usually very dark and wet. Because of the usual diet of fish, otter scat most often contains many fish scales and small bones. It may take on a reddish color if the otter has been eating crayfish and crabs, or otter scat may be very black if amphibians are the primary food source.
Older scat may appear as a pile of fish scales left in the leaves.
In a well used latrine site, you may notice an area where grass or other vegetation has died off. The acidity of the scat will turn grass yellow, leaving an easily seen site.
Other Otter Sign
This is a typical latrine site location. You can see the
ground has been worn where otters have come up on land
under the bushes
Otters sleep and raise their young in dens that are left empty by other animals. Near a latrine site you might find a den where an otter occasionally naps. These dens are usually about eight inches at the opening and a lot of other otter sign can be found nearby.
An otter roll is another sign you might look for when tracking otters. When otters come out of the water, they need to dry themselves off. They will do this either with a roll of grass that is used much like a towel, or they will roll around on their backs, flattening out a large area of grass. Both of these signs can be seen very near the water and often near a latrine site.
Finally, you might see an otter midden, or a place where an otter has had a meal. Though otters usually eat the entire animal they are preying on, sometimes signs will be left behind. A bloody patch of snow or land near the water with some fish scales in it or the claws of a crayfish left on a rock are good indications that otters are in the area.
Have you seen any of these signs in the
Hudson River Watershed?
Would you like to become a steward of the river otter?
Contact the Hale Creek Field Station at: hrotter@gw.dec.state.ny.us!
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